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Catalyst studies show that women are just as ambitious as men and use the same career advancement strategies—but they don’t get the same pay off. Clearly, access to the ‘hot jobs’ and to senior-level sponsors with clout to create that access can make a dramatic difference in closing the persistent gender gap.” said Ilene H. Lang, President & Chief Executive Officer, Catalyst.

If women are equally ambitious and use the same career advancement strategies, what prevents them from the access to these “hot jobs”? It’s the glass grid.

Everyone talks about the glass ceiling and having to knock on the glass ceiling to get ahead. What’s really going on is that women have a glass grid. This is a power grid that is so hidden and buried that women don’t know it exists and because they don’t know it exists, they don’t know how to navigate it.

Think talent and hard work are enough to get ahead? The workplace is a highly politicized environment where key decisions about who gets ahead, who gets the plum assignments, who gets the scarce resources are not just decided on merit. Understanding the politics and what really happens behind how decisions are made in the workplace is essential if women are to succeed.

Women tend to have less power and less access to power than men which puts them at a disadvantage. In their book, Political Skills at Work, authors Ferris, Davidson, and Perrewe state:

Women do not see the necessity of political maneuvering. This political deficiency relegates them quickly to the losers’ brackets and probably explains what appears to be active and blatant gender discrimination in promotion and advancement”.

The glass grid redefines the journey women have to the top. The higher up you get in an organization, the more competitive the environment. In fact, the power often shifts as women move up which results in additional challenges to navigate the grid successfully. Political skill and savvy become even more important as women ascend the corporate ladder.

Getting ahead and staying ahead depends on access to the glass grid, the informal power networks that can only be accessed through building and leveraging relationships, mentoring, and sponsorship. The stronger these relationships become, the less important is the actual business at hand for this is where the decisions about the “hot jobs” and your future are made.

How can you navigate the grid successfully?

Identify the glass grid in your organization. Understand the power structure. Who makes the decisions? Who influences the decisions? Who do you know and who do you need to know? What is the strength of your relationship with these people?

Gain access to the informal network by developing solid relationships with the decision makers and influencers. According to Ferris, Davidson, and Perrewe, “Successful networking requires more than knowing how to build connections, allegiances, and contacts: you also have to understand how to use social capital to develop coalitions when support needs to be mobilized. More than simply exchanging favors, building a network also involves skills in inspiring people to support and follow you.” Ask for mentorship. Request high level sponsors through these relationships. Who can be your champion? Maintain relationships and continue to expand your network for access to the ever-changing grid.

Use self-promotion as the tool for access. There is a political art of promotion that gives you access and allows you to compete for coveted resources and assignments. Learning how to self-promote in a way that is culturally acceptable and effective is an important political skill that contributes to your influence within the glass grid.

Organization politics is often viewed negatively. Yet it is a fact of life in the workplace today. For women to get ahead and stay ahead, they must understand how the glass grid works and develop the skill set to navigate this grid successfully.

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